Programme Manager– Systems-change & Early Childhood Development (ECD) at Aga Khan Foundation

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Systems Advocacy

• Drive the overarching strategic vision of the ECD systems-change initiative, ensuring all activities address root causes rather than just surface symptoms.
• Interface directly with high-level institutional stakeholders, including County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for Education and Health, Sub-County Administrators, Members of the County Assemblies, national ECD networks and other relevant partners and stakeholders on the ground.
• Systems-Change facilitation and ensure programme goals align with institutional and policy guidelines or shifts.
• Lead formal execution of agreed commitments including signing of MoUs where needed.
• Champion the institutionalization of community-led ECD models into County integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) and annual budget allocations.

Team Management & Oversight

• Manage and collaborate with relevant field officers, independent consultants, specific specialists (gender, design & innovation, data & insights) and or evaluators.
• In collaboration with the Programme Director periodically appraise relevant team and recommend strategic role assignment and adjustment to align with emerging needs thus, maximize overall efficiencies.
• In collaboration with the Programme Director oversee contractual agreements, procurement processes and onboarding of relevant structures contributing to timely processes and results.

Risk Management & Adaptive Governance

• Identify, track, and mitigate high-level project risks (e.g., changes in county political leadership, shifting local security contexts, or systemic resistance to policy changes).
• Guide the project team through complex adaptive pivots, transforming field roadblocks into strategic levers and learning opportunities.
• In collaboration with the Programme Director convene and facilitate project steering committees, advisory boards, and donor review sessions.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Compliance

• Contribute to designing the initiative’s Learning and Measurement Evaluation (LME) Framework to facilitate timely tracking and measure systemic shifts (e.g., policy implementation, resource flows, and power dynamics).
• Compile comprehensive, high-quality progress reports, impact case studies, for donors, institutional partners, and government.
• Ensure strict adherence to all organizational and partner policy guidelines and standards are maintained at all times.

The requirements

Required Qualifications, Experiences and Skills

• Experience: 5+ years in project management within social development sector, public policy engagement, or public health sectors in Kenya. At least 2 years must be in a leadership role managing teams, partners and compiling quality donor reports. Further, demonstrate experience in delivering highly successful educational or systems-change programmes.
• Domain Expertise: Deep practical knowledge of the Kenyan Early Childhood Development (ECD) landscape, including policies and community/parental involvement, devolution structures (County government systems), and community-health frameworks (e.g., the CHP strategy), strong relationship building and maintaining positive influence amongst partners.
• Education: Master’s or bachelor’s degree in education, Project Management, Development Studies, Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field. Professional certifications (e.g., Management Fundamentals, Understanding Systems- Change) are highly valued.
• Negotiation & Influence: Proven track record of successfully navigating government bureaucracies, building coalitions, and managing high-stakes multi-stakeholder relationships.
• Languages: Strong written and fluent verbal communication in English and Kiswahili. Basic understanding of the local languages will be an added advantage.